MORENO VALLEY – To say the Moreno Valley softball program had fallen on hard times in recent years would be an understatement.

Moreno Valley was among the top programs in Riverside County during the late 90s and early 2000s. The Vikings even played in the CIF-SS Division 2 title game back in 1999.

But things quickly fell apart for the program.

From 2005 to 2013, Moreno Valley managed to win a total of six games. In that stretch, the Vikings lost 132 consecutive games on the field. A few games were forfeited because the team didn't have nine players available.

Moreno Valley unexpectedly turned things around this season. The Vikings went 12-8 and qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time since 2003. And for that reason, Joseph Flores has been selected the HSGametime All-Area Coach of the Year.

Flores, 34, has coached travel ball teams in Moreno Valley for several years. He applied for the coaching position at Moreno Valley and was later hired. A few weeks after he'd accepted that spot, Flores learned he also was the top choice to take over the program at Moreno Valley Valley View, which is where his daughter Karolina played as a freshman.

“That was a tough decision for me to make,” Flores said. “I decided with Moreno Valley, because this program needed something. And these kids needed something ... hope.”

Flores immediately got to work, instituting a strenuous conditioning program. He worked on improving basic fundamentals, and it did not take long to see positive results.

Moreno Valley won five of its first six games. After an 0-3 start in the River Valley League, the Vikings won five consecutive games and eventually finished league with an 8-7 record.

“We were not going to be satisfied with just putting a team out on the field,” Flores said. “Our goal always was to be competitive with other teams and win games. It's been a long time since this program was able to do that. Seeing the girls have confidence in themselves and having fun out there on the field was memorable.”

The players echoed their coach’s thoughts.

“We’re not a joke to people anymore,” junior pitcher Iveth Alvarado said. “I think we surprised a lot of people this season, and that’s something we’re going try to build on next season. Things have changed around here.”

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